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The Phoenix home of designers and builders Sarah Swartz Wessel and Ethan Wessel sits amid desert-friendly trees and plants. The couple bought the property in 1998 and worked on the house for a decade. Juxtaposed with limestone floors, wood-beamed ceilings, and walls of hand-troweled plaster and board-formed concrete, glass is strategically placed throughout the 4,000-square-foot expanse to frame slivers of landscape and sky or open wide to reveal gardens of various sizes, which the couple also designed.

The Birch Le Collaboration House and all of the Hygge Supply homes are made from structural insulated panels (SIPs) and steel framing, both of which are designed and cut to spec and delivered to the job site ready for placement, leaving little to no waste onsite. The homes can either be built on a slab-on-grade foundation with concrete floors; pier foundations with Thermory wood floors; or a basement foundation which also includes Thermory wood floors.

The commission was for a robust and efficient little cabin oriented towards the lake.

Building with Cor-Ten steel—weathering steel's nom de plume—is a bit like watching a painting slowly come to life over time. Exposure to the elements adds textured hues of red and orange to the material until it steps into a character completely its own. From the Dwell archive, we bring you nine Cor-Ten steel homes with facades that will continue to shift through shades of ochre, amber, rust, and sienna.

In 2013, Jennifer Warner and Cara Frey fell in love with a modest but charming 1920s house within walking distance of their bungalow. The dwelling was dramatically sited, with great views of Portland’s southwest hills and downtown. But according to Michael Leckie, the Vancouver–based architect they eventually hired, "It was the dumpiest house on the block." Leckie replaced the house with a simple, modern design, using a basic square wood box that skews into a rhombus form, which he topped with a sloping roof. Their son, William, 6, swings in front of the cedar-clad house.

A maple tree grows through an ipe deck in this garden that Mary Barensfeld designed for a family in Berkeley, California. A reflecting pool separates it from a granite patio, which is furnished with a Petal dining table by Richard Schultz and chairs by Mario Bellini. The 1,150-square-foot garden serves as an elegant transition from the couple’s 1964 Japanese-style town house to a small, elevated terrace with views of San Francisco Bay. Filigreed Cor-Ten steel fence screens—perforated with a water-jet cutter to cast dappled shadows on a bench and the ground below—and zigzagging board-formed concrete retaining walls are examples.

On an undulating stretch of California coastline, a hidden guesthouse runs free of the grid. "The house is elemental," says project architect Dan Weber of Santa Barbara–based firm Anacapa, who collaborated on the project with designer Steve Willson. "We endeavored to make it out of materials that would wear and take on a patina over time, so they could feel like part of the landscape." Unfinished steel, board-formed concrete, and glass continue inside, where rich black walnut—used for ceilings, cabinetry, and furniture—provides an inviting contrast. "On a foggy day, you want that feeling of warmth around you," says Margaret. Brass fixtures complement the deep-hued wood.

The living room is furnished with vintage items, including a leather-and-chrome chair by Suekichi Uchida and a stacking stool by Florence Knoll.

Custom sliding doors extend the living areas to the outdoors.

The exterior is clad in pre-finished inland cedar and shou sugi ban-charred wood.

Matching Ladena sinks by Kohler, outfitted with Talis S faucets by Hansgrohe, stand inside polished Stormy Sky countertops by PentalQuartz.

“The roof structure is exposed in every room of the house, which leads the eye to connect all of the rooms together, making the house seem bigger than it really is,” Hutchison says. Dunn Lumber supplied the laminate shelves for the study.

The home’s interior design was intentionally simple: access to light and views were a main priority. “The roof in this room slopes gradually up to the south, providing a light monitor that brings in southern light filtered through the trees, while providing a framed view of the tops of the trees beyond,” Hutchison says. Plank flooring by United Tile and Edge wall sconces by Belfer unite the living and dining spaces.

“From the street, it appears as a rectangular building with sloping shed roofs, but this is actually an illusion,” Hutchison notes. “The floor plan is actually U-shaped, wrapping around an entry courtyard that is contained by the continuous west facade.” A standing seam metal roof by Custom Bilt Metals blends in with the cedar siding.

In addition to a radiant floor heating system, a Cheminees Philippe Radiante fireplace keeps the home toasty and warm. The artwork pictured is ‘Commonalities’ by Kate Tucker.

In the study of this stunning, modern cabin by Murdough Design, corner windows give the home office a tree house feel with views of the lush surrounding canopy and lake.

In the lofted study, a Rakks modular shelf system was recessed into the drywall and topped with laminate boards. A white oak ceiling and flooring are found throughout the home, adding warmth to the minimalist palette.

Cedar siding is stained in dark brown to camouflage the cabin with the surrounding forest. "It was important that this house appears modern and blends in," says Murdough.

The exterior palette consists of dark cedar siding, mahogany decks, and exposed gray steel beams.